Conventionally, in optical communications using optical transmission members such as optical fibers and light waveguides, optical modules have been used, provided with a light emitting element such as a surface-emitting laser (for example, VCSEL: Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser). Such an optical module includes an optical receptacle that allows light including communication information emitted from a light emitting element to be incident on the end surface of an optical transmission member.
For example, Patent Literature (hereinafter, referred to as “PTL”) 1 discloses an optical module including an optical connector and a substrate with light emitting elements disposed thereon. The optical connector includes optical fibers and a connector part, and the connector part includes a lens array (optical receptacle) disposed between the tips of the plurality of the optical fibers and the light emitting elements. The lens array includes a reflecting mirror that reflects light emitted from the light emitting elements toward the optical fiber tips, and a condenser lens that concentrates the light reflected by the reflecting mirror toward the optical fiber tips.
In the optical module disclosed in PTL 1, the optical connector is fixed to the substrate by positioning the optical connector at a certain position in the substrate, applying a thermosetting epoxy resin adhesive onto the boundary between the lens array edges and the substrate, and heat-curing the adhesive.
In an optical module produced in such a manner, light emitted from a light emitting element is reflected by a reflecting mirror toward an optical fiber tip, and reaches the optical fiber tip via a condenser lens.